Bios

Palestinian Jerusalemites have made myriad and diverse contributions to their city’s history and community fabric. Here we profile some of those people—past and present; famous and obscure—whose lives and work and stories have helped shape the larger Jerusalem Story over time.

Find alphabetically by first letter of last name

Issa Boullata

An accomplished scholar of Arabic and Islamic studies and award-winning translator who traced his creative talent to his Jerusalem childhood

Kamal Boullata

A renowned Jerusalemite artist and art historian who was exiled in 1967 and spent the rest of his life creating art that would convey, and lead him back to, the city of his birth

Fatima Budeiri

An Arabic-language teacher and media personality who became the first Palestinian woman to work as a radio broadcaster

Health and Health Care Tawfiq Canaan

An epidemiologist, ethnographer, and institution builder who made foundational contributions to medicine and health care in Jerusalem and Palestine

Henry Cattan

A Jerusalemite jurist and lawyer who wrote widely on the status of Jerusalem and the Palestinian claim to Palestine

Hassan Sidqi al-Dajani

A prominent politician, lawyer, and journalist whose political views and activism led to his assassination during a turbulent time in Palestine’s history

Subhi Taher Dajani

A blind educator from Jerusalem who made substantial contributions to the education and vocational training of blind people in the Arab world

Health and Health Care Mahmoud Dajani

A doctor who offered his services widely, helped establish hospitals and clinics, and taught himself to play the piano

Ibrahim Dakkak

A talented and dedicated engineer who devoted his life to institution building, Jerusalem, and the Palestinian national cause

Rania Elias

An advocate for freedom of speech and women’s rights who works to preserve Palestinian heritage and identity

Sami Hadawi

A foremost authority on Palestinian land ownership before 1948 who provided future generations with crucial documentation on the Nakba and Palestinian refugees

Anastasia (Asia) Halaby

A Palestinian Russian woman who worked for the British and Jordanian authorities, demanded political change, and established workshops for destitute women